1. SPELLING MISTAKES! If you misspell the brand name or in some cases the description then your listing won't show up in the majority of searches and you will get fewer customers and hence fewer bids. This is really going to hurt your bottom line AND your reputation. If you are not careful enough to check your spelling then you might not be careful enough to post my item on time and safely... (I sure hope I haven't made any spelling mistakes in the article after saying that!)



2. LISTING AT THE WRONG TIME OF DAY. You need to list your items so that they end at the time that your market is most likely to be on the computer or able to access the computer. Most bidding occurs in the last few hours and minutes of the auction and if you can time things right then most of the people interested in your auction could be bidding at once creating a bidding war that can push prices sky high. Avoid day time listings in almost all cases and stick to evening listings between 7:30pm & 10pm and you will be safe in most cases. Also, avoid Friday nights and Saturdays if you are unsure that this is going to be a time that your target market is at home on the computer by themselves. This is an active social time for most people and you are likely to get more action on other days.

3. LOUSY PICTURES OR INSUFFICIENT DESCRIPTIVE DETAIL. Remember one thing and you will become a great seller very fast - you can see, touch, taste and smell the item that you are listing but your customers CAN'T! Don't be lazy. Put yourself on the other side of the screen and think about what you would want to see or know about your item if you were thinking of buying it. If you haven't already, subscribe to eBay's picture services NOW. It is only a couple of bucks a week and if you are listing even 5 items a week then you will be getting value for money because you can list as many pictures as you like for the same fee.

4. PRICING YOUR ITEM TOO CHEAPLY. You should really know your market well before you decide to list your item. Has something identical sold before on eBay? Use the 'completed listings' search tool to find out what prices your item and similar items have sold for in the past and also have a look at how many people were bidding on it. If you have an item that gets 20+ bids then starting at $0.99 is almost always a great idea because you can encourage bidding wars and get your prices up. If your item has a very small or specialized market you should be very careful.

5. SELLING FAKES. Avoid buying bulk designer goods from anyone who claims they get their supply directly from the manufacturer. It just doesn't happen for multi-million dollar brand name companies. They protect their brands ruthlessly and the only way you can get them authentic is from an authorized distributor (and you will have to be a retail store to do this) or from a retail store. Beware. eBay can suspend you or cancel your registration if you get caught.

If you can avoid these mistakes then you will make more sales and higher profits. Your reputation on eBay is your biggest asset and as you are able to maintain your positive feedback you will strengthen your business.